Naming a hotel after
the greatest Grand Vizier in the Ottoman Empire sets up certain expectations. Ibrahim
Pasha, located on the edge of Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet center, has no
trouble living up to its name - without ever seeming too grand.

The boutique hotel takes
an airy and sleek elegance and grounds it with common sense comfort amid
ancient Ottoman style. Two lobby fireplaces blaze during winter
months, one surrounded by an ample library and sitting room. The warm
cream and gold walls are accented by muted celery details and leather couches.
It’s so comfortable it’s tempting to forgo the airy domes of the Blue Mosque
just outside its front door.

Ferhat Guven and his father Muharrem serve up a Turkish breakfast

A recent expansion of
the original 19th century four story townhouse increased rooms from 16 to 24,
fully half of them now with deluxe layouts that include sitting rooms.
Marble showers and deep tubs, rainfall showers and artfully placed lighting
amid modernist décor are featured in all rooms.

One of Ibrahim Pasha's front areas

Owner Mehmet Umur said
his establishment attracts British guests, primarily because it was once named
by a UK paper on a ten best hotel list. Umur’s wife, Emel Guntas, is the hotel’s
interior designer, drawing from her experience as owner of Hic Crafts in nearby
Beyoglu.

A recent expansion of
the original 19th century four story townhouse increased rooms from 16 to 24,
fully half of them now with deluxe layouts that include sitting rooms.
Marble showers and deep tubs, rainfall showers and artfully placed lighting
amid modernist décor are featured in all rooms.

Hotel Ibrahim Pasha

Rising from a Greek
slave ­­–– sold at age six to a training palace for future sultans –– Ibrahim
Pasha had the good fortune to befriend the future Suleiman the Magnificent.
By the time he met his death he amassed great power and wealth, as well as
hubris, which was his downfall. He had awarded himself a title that
included the word Sultan, and Venetian diplomats began referring to him as “Ibrahim
the Magnificent.”

It’s not a wise
career move to trump your boss, especially when he is the longest-reigning
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Ibrahim was murdered, joining a lengthy
list of Ottoman upstarts.

Storybook view of Sultan Ahmed Mosque from the fourth floor terrace

A fourth floor
terrace and bar overlooks the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), and the
Bosphorus, opening to the Sea of Marmara. It’s an incredible vista,
either in the morning as the sun pierces the strait’s thick fog, or at night as
Sultan Ahmed’s six towering minarets blaze with light. Taking in the view is like falling into an Arabian storybook. While spending one thousand and one nights at Ibrahim Pasha would get pricey, it’s tempting.

Fourth floor terrace view of the Bosphorus

A deluxe room at Ibrahim Pasha

Turkish Airlines offers new non-stop service from Los Angeles’ LAX to Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport. The 13 and-a-half hour flight operates on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Saturday and Sunday. Daily service is expected to launch in March, 2012. The airline is rated by Skytrax as the 7th Best in the World.